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With ten weeks to go until election day, we’ll look at where we’ve been in the last several weeks – most surprising: Kamala Harris emerging as a great candidate. Harold Meyerson explains that it’s not so much that Harris has changed but that the Democratic Party has.

Also: Summer Reading: M: Son of the Century is a 750-page historical novel about the rise of Mussolini by Antonio Scurati – John Powers, critic-at-large for NPR’s Fresh Air draws parallels between 1920s Italy and Trump’s America.

Plus: The Warmth of Other Suns, about the great migration of Black people out of the South, has made The New York Times 100 Best Books of the Century list; from the archives, my discussion with its author, Isabel Wilkerson (originally recorded in 2010).  8-29-2024

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The Trump campaign – it’s not going well right now. Marc Cooper has our analysis, and advises, rather than follow the two-or-three-point difference in polling, that we should instead look at the trend lines. Also, he reminds us that at the end of July in 1988, Michael Dukakis was leading George Bush by 14 points.

It’s still August — and time for more summer beach reading. While the Democrats hold their convention in Chicago, the number one nonfiction bestseller in America is “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance. Luckily for us, Becca Rothfeld, author of “All Things Are Too Small” and the nonfiction book critic of The Washington Post, has read it, so we don’t have to.

From the archives: The legendary Father Greg Boyle, Jesuit pastor of Dolores Mission in Boyle Heights starting in 1986, has made it his mission to help gang members who want to quit. He founded Homeboy Industries in 1988. We spoke about his wonderful book “Tattoos on the Heart: Stories of Hope and Compassion” (Originally broadcast Jan., 2012)  8-22-2024

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Trump mostly stays home at Mar-a-Lago while Kamala and Tim Walz meet huge crowds in the swing states. Harold Meyerson comments on the current asymmetrical state of the campaign.

Plus: Talking politics, and history, with Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown – he’s up for reelection this year, in a state where Biden got only 45%.  (originally recorded in October 2020)

Also: Elon Musk has been a leader in the transition to renewable energy, and has made Twitter into a threat to democracy. He has become the face of 21st-century capitalism. David Nasaw has our analysis. (recorded in October, 2023.)  8-15-2024

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Tim Walz was a great choice for Kamala’s VP – Harold Meyerson explains – and takes up the question, what’s happening to the Trump campaign?

Also: JD Vance’s remark about “childless cat ladies” who “want to make the rest of the country miserable” continues to reverberate in the news. Katha Pollitt has our analysis, and rebuts Vance’s argument that people who don’t have children don’t have a stake in the country’s future.

Plus: Your Minnesota Moment: David Carr was a great New York Times media columnist; here he talks about his days as a drug addict in Minneapolis.  His book is Night of the Gun.  (originally broadcast 9/10/08)  8-1-2024

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Kamala’s first 10 days have been “what any candidate would dream of” – and have given the Democrats an “energy jolt”. Also, Donald’s bad day with the largest annual gathering of Black journalists –Harold Meyerson comments.

Next: Every four years, people die, people turn 18 and the electorate changes. Steve Philips reports on the new electorate.

Plus: The phrase “homeless veterans” should be an American oxymoron – instead, administration after administration, including that of Biden, has fought against disabled veterans’ right to housing. Public Counsel lead attorney Mark Rosenbaum discusses the class action lawsuit set for trial on August 6th.  8-1-2024